This year is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
Earth Day is a day designed to raise awareness and appreciation for the Earth and the environment. Earth day is celebrated each April 22nd.
A fun, interesting and educational Earth Day activity is making Coffee Ground Fossils.
Recycling the grounds, and learning about fossils is what makes this activity ideal for the day. Fossils for Kids.com is a good place to search for information on fossils of all kinds.
To make Coffee Ground Fossils you'll need:* 1 cup of used coffee grounds
* 1/2 cup of cold coffee
* 1 cup of flour
* 1/2 cup of salt
* Wax paper
* Mixing bowl
* Some small objects to make impressions in the dough (using the footprints of toy animals is fun)
* an empty can, round cookie cutter or a plastic knife
directions:
1. Mix together the coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour, and salt in a bowl until well mixed.
2. Take the mixture out of the bowl and place on the waxed paper.
3. Knead the dough and then flatten it out, still on the waxed paper.
4. Use the can/cookie cutter to cut out circles of the dough or use the plastic knife to cut slabs large enough to fit your "fossil" objects.
5. Press your objects firmly into the dough. When you take the object out, you'll have a "fossil".
6. Let the fossil dry overnight. It may take longer to dry depending on the thickness.
7. After the kids have finished their fossils, you can hide then and have a Fossil Hunt.
